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I UNITED STATES PATENT LOUIS ZEHNDER, OF BASLE, SWVITZERLAND.

WATCHMANS TIME-DETECTOR.

SPEGEEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,972. dated August 25, 1885.

Application filed October 31, 1884. Mimi) To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS ZEHNDER, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Basle, in the Republic of Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Watchmens Time-Detectors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to watchmens timedetectors.

Heretofore time-detectors have been constructed which were either complicated and expensive or unsatisfactory for not giving full security against dishonest watch men, or for making the controlling of the marked dials or other devices very troublesome and time wasting.

It is the object of my invention to overcome I all these defects, first, by making the control as easy and minute as possible by printing marks on blank paper so as to be easily read; and, second, by having exchangeable types, so as to afford great variety in the making of the dials of the watch; third,by giving full security against unauthorized opening of the casing of the detector by means of knives, marking the dial when the lid of the casing is opened; and, fourth, by having in all such simple mechanism and devices as to make the time-detector cheap and handy.

The first feature of my invention consists in having paper dials revolved by the central stem of an ordinary clock-work, said clockwork being mounted within a casing with lid and glass face, said paper dial having the division of time printed on its center portion and on its periphery, so as to leave a blank annular space between said divisions, said annular blank space being spaced for receiving the marks printed thereon by hand by the watchman by means of types attached to the stations to be visited by said watchman. These types are inserted through a suitable slot in the lid of the instrument, which instrument is carried by the watchman. According to the position of the marked types or figures on the dialwith regard to the division of time, the control can be easily made if the watchman has visited the stations in proper turn and at the proper time.

The second feature of my invention consists in having the types, either ordinary types of letters or figures or other marks, fitting into a channel or hole provided within a key, said key being suspended by means of a suitable chain at the stations, the channel in said key being such that the type is protruding only with its one face end. On the other end of the type a notch or other equivalent device is provided which reaches into a perforation within the key, which perforation or hole is to befilled up with sealing-wax or lead. This seal retains the type within the key and prevents any unauthorized exchange of said type. The seal is easily applied to and removed by the controlling-clerk, and therefore the types may be varied easily and often according to fancy, and whereby any fraudulent attempts of the watchman become almost impossible.

The third feature of my invention consists in having a simple contrivance within the lid of the time detector which marks the paper dial every time the lid is opened. A pin provided with a double-edged knifeblade is fitted loosely into a suitable hole provided in a guide-block secured to the faceplate of the clock-work. This pin is pushed upward by means of a spring, and is held in such a position that when the lid is shut the latter will push said pin downward. The knife-blade is located in such a position on said pin that every time when the lid is opened the knife will strike upward and cut the periphery or edge of the paper dial, and also when the lid is shut said knife will strike downward, cutting the edge of the dial likewise.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan of the time-detector, the lid being opened and the paper dial partly marked. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on lines 1 2 as given in Fig. 1; in Fig. 2 the type with key being shown inserted through the lid, and the pin with knife-blade being shown pressed downward by the shut cover or lid. Fig. 3 represents another cross-section through the pin with knife-blades. 6, giving the views of the face of the keys, shows the different ways in which the types may be arranged within said keys. Fig. 5

gives an end elevation of a key with type inserted and sealed, and Fig. 6 a side elevation of same; Fig. 7, a bottom end view of .9 Fig. 4, a, b, a, d, and

the same. Figs. '8 and 9 give side and end elevation of the types, showing the notches at the one end thereof.

Similar letters of reference in all the figures indicate corresponding parts.

The circular metallic casing A, provided with the hinged lid B, serves as a receptacle for the mechanism of the time-detector, said mechanism being an ordinary clock-work, O, with spring 0 which will need no further description. Said clock-work is mounted on a face-plate, E, which fits tightly into the easing, and is retained therein by means of three screws, 0 e 6, shown in Fig. 1. The central stem, 0, of the clock-work, which is revolved by the action of the spring 0 when unwinding, is protruding over the face-plate E, and is provided thereon with a shoulder and with a squared part. The squared part serves for winding up the clock-work by means of a key, and on the shoulder a disk, 0 is mounted, with a fit, as is usual in watch-making, tight enough so as to be revolved with the stem and loose enough so as to be easily adjustable by hand and adjusted according to the time and to the stationary hand H, which is rigidly fast to the lid of the casing. Disk 0 carries the paper dial D, which is held fast by means of two pointed pins riveted into the face of the disk, and said paper dial is secured into said pins by means of a washer, c", which fits tightly over the shouldered part of stem 0'. The paper dial, therefore, is carried along with the revolving disk 0 and is easily exchanged. It has the division of time printed on its central portion and to its periphery, as shown in Fig. l, and a blank annular strip is left between the two divisions, on which blank space the marks are to be printed on by the watchman by means of the keys at the stations.

At a suitable place just above the blank annular space of the dial on the inside of the lid a block, G, of metal is soldered on said block G,supporting the hand H, fastened thereto, and said block being slotted so as to allow the key, with type, to be inserted through the same. The slot and the corresponding shape of the key have a tight fit, and are such that the key can only be inserted in one certain way. In Figs. 4 and 1 a shape for the slot and key is given, which is simple but perfeet-1y suitable to the purpose. I am, how ever, not particular for the very shape given here, as other shapes may answer just as well.

Opposite to the slotted block G of the lid, and underneath the paper dial D, a layer of pressed pasteboard, or other suitable materiakissecured onto the faceplate E of the clock-work, so as to form a pad, when the types are pressed by the watchman on the paper dial.

shape of the bottom part, h of the key is such as to fit only in one certain way into the corresponding slot of block G. As seen in Figs, 6 and 7, the key has a square hole cut lengthwise whereinto the typeTis fitting. The types are shown in Figs. 8 and 9 with their face end at t, and with a notch, t", at their other end. WVhen the type T is inserted into the key K, the said notch will reach into asquare hole at k, and this hollow is to be filled up with sealing-wax, whereunto a seal, \V, marking L Z in the drawings, may be applied, in order to retain the type within the key and to prevent its unauthorized removal and exchange. The hollows into which the types are fitted may be located differently, as shown in Fig. 4, a, b, c, d, and 6, so as to give a chance to change not only the types to be printed, but also their relative position on the blank annular space of the dial. For the case as illustrated in the drawings there would therefore five sets of keys be needed, which can be combined so that said keys are attached at the stations so as to print the types or marks on the dial in two rows, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the marked letters are easily read and the control of the same is facilitated.

The types may also be combined to words, so that each station has its special letter. For instance, in the case of five stations, as shown in the drawings, there would be five different letters which will form a certain word when the watchman has visited the five stations in the prescribed turn and at the proper time. It will therefore be readily understood that with this arrangement there is such a chance for changing and varying the controlling marks on the dial that the watchman will never be tempted to fraudulent actions, while the control remains always easy and minute.

In order to prevent any unauthorized opening of the casing an arrangement is made (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) which registers each time when thelid is opened or shut. A block, S, is screwed or soldered at a suitable place to the face of the faceplate E, and a movable pin, 8, is fitted thereinto, which pin 8 is provided with a knife-plate, s". The pin is pushed upward by means of a spring, 8, and downward again by the lid B when being shut, and the knife 8 is thus located in regard to the paper dial Dthat when the lidis opened spring 8 will push pin 3 upward and strike the knife blade through the edge of the paper dial, and again,when the lid is shut, pin 8 will be pressed down and blade 8 will again strike through the edge of the paper, leaving thus incisions made on the edge of the dial, whereby any unauthorized opening of the casing may be detected.

Being aware that blank dials whereon other metallic dials were imprinted for marking the same have been used heretofore, I disclaim such dials.

Dials have also been used whereon the divisionlines of time were printed all over the IIO paper, so as to leave no blank space for the typemarks, and so as to have said marks hardly discernible. I disclaim the same also.

Being aware, also, that it is not new to use types for marking paper dials and to use station keys or types fitting into channels provided in the watch-casing, I disclaim the same.

Instead of having differently-located chanro nels within the watclrcasing for printing the marks for each station on its own particular annular space or strip, I have the types fitted into channels provided within special stationkeys, the position of said channels within the keys being made different for each station. Thus the relative position of the marks of each station may also be easily changed without altering the clock-casing. simply by changing the keys containingthe types and by substituting such keys provided with differently located channels. In order,also,to make any mistake on the part of the watchman impossible, I have the shape of the portion of the key which is to be inserted into the clock such as to fit only one way into the hole. In the case, however, where uniform types have to be inserted into a series of similar channels, the watchman is liable to make mistakes by putting a type into the wrong channel.

I am aware, also, that similar contrivances as mine for guarding against unauthorized opening of the casing have been known heretofore, said contrivances consisting of double edged knives attached to the lid of the casing and cutting the edge of the dial each time the lid was opened.

I object to attach said knives to the lid, because it does not give perfect guarantee against opening of the lid by dishonest watchmen.

Should, for instance, the pin of the hinge be taken out, the lid may be removed without cutting the paper dial at all, supposed that the watchman possesses a key to open the casing. I prefer, therefore, to place the cutter within the clock-casing, and to have the lid pressing against a pin provided with the knives and seated on a spring so as to hold said pin down and to keep the cutter or the knife just underneath the dial. The object of this arrange- 0 ment is to cause said pin with knife to move upward and to cut the dial whenever the pressure of the lid ceases, which must always be the case, even when the lid is only partly opened. I disclaim, therefore, the knives,

5 5 either single or double edged, for marking the dials.

It must be further stated that the nature of my invention will not be altered if it should be preferred to have coloring dials or disks of any suitable material placed above my .ordinary paper dials with blank annular space, so as to transfer the color deposited on said auxiliary dials to the paper dials of the clock-work by means of the pressure of the types. The types in this case would create thus colored figures or letters on the dials of the clock-work. The nature of my invention will also not be affected by substituting for the circular disk D with pins a cylindrical drum with strip of paper thereon, the strip of paper also having the division of time and receiving the marks printed thereon by the types inserted laterally through a slotted block soldered to the sides of the cover.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the station-keys of watchmans time-detectors, exchangeable (ordinary printers) types fitted into channels provided in said keys, said types having notches at their one end reaching therewith into a hollow of said keys and sealed fast to said keys, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth and described.

2. In combination with watchmans timedetectors, the keys K,with the suitably-shaped part k", a square hole cut lengthwise, the type T, fitted into said square channel or hole, with the face end t and the notch t at its other end, reaching with the latter into the hole 7; of the key, said hole filled up with the seal WV, all substantially as showu,and for the purpose set forth and described.

3. In combination with watchmans timedetectors, a set of stationkeys, as K, punched out of sheet metal and provided, with arrowshaped portions fitting into the same slot of thewatch-casing, said keys further provided with differently-located type-containing sockets cut into the same, so as to print the marks or words on the dial on several lines, all substantially as shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a watchmans timedetector, the combination, with the lid B, the face-plate E, and the casing A, of means for marking the paper dials whenever the said lid is opened, said means attached to said face-plate and consisting, substantially as shown and described, of the block S, secured to said faceplate, the movable pin, as s, fitted into said block and seated on a flat spring, as s", which is secured to said face-plate, and a knife, as s", double-edged and secured crosswise within said pin, all for the purpose as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my name, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 8th day of September, 1884..

LOUIS ZEHNDER.

IVitnesses:

GEORGE Grnnonn, OHS. A. RICHTER. 

